A modern yogi

How does your day start? when do you get up What are your first thoughts?

When do I get up? Usually not before I wake up (laughs)… I just have this healthy habit. I like to go for cappuccino and brioche in the morning to a nice bar by the sea and take time for myself so that I can taste, think, shape my day and mood. I said it wrong, didn't I (laughs)? Should I say that as soon as I wake up I do yoga and meditate? Well, I do that too, but in principle I'm not a morning person.

Your way of life used to be very different than it is now...

He wasn't that different, no, just outwardly. The external form is always changing, one way or another. But it's nice when you look back and see how some things that you once thought were absolutely unfeasible, impossible and you didn't even dare to avoid, have become part of your everyday life. For example, I used to be an absolute zero in the gym, smoking two packs a day. I had a huge limitation. Today, I cannot imagine that sport would not be a part of my everyday life. And cigarettes, real horror (laughs)!

So does the rule apply to you that a change in the head brings a change on the outside?

What we have inside always comes out if we allow it. I don't know many things yet, but one thing is certain: a man can do absolutely anything, every man! But before you become something, you have to be it. That's the whole secret. You have to be it in your inner world to be able to realize it in the outer world. Do you need the mind of a yogi or a genius for this? I do not think so. All you need is courage. That's all. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't...

When did you start practicing yoga and how long have you been teaching it?

I have been doing yoga and similar things since I was sixteen, and I started learning it about eight years ago.

You have developed your own style of yoga, which contains dynamism, breathing and is very different from the classical approach that most people are familiar with.

I can say that I have "life claustrophobia", I don't like to be molded, squeezed, conducted or controlled, I can't breathe, but really! And this is a sign that says to me: you have molded yourself, you have stopped, go on! That's why the style of yoga I teach is my style. I started with classical Hatha Yoga and naturally adapted it to my needs and visions. I have been doing Tai Chi for many years and this element is also present, as are the elements of various dances.

What is the point of your exercise and who is it for?

My style is a form of Vinyasa Yoga, so I called it Power Flow Yoga. Hatha is strength or force, and Vinyasa is continuous, fluid movement, flow... The positions flow into each other with fluid transitions in accordance with the breath and movement of energy. Since this form of yoga is very physical and dynamic, it is especially suitable for those who want to strengthen and shape their body, lose pounds and gain flexibility. It is also for those who like dancing and movement. Some people think that yoga is relaxation, like some form of autogenic training, and come for the first hour with a blanket, expecting to finally be able to lie undisturbed for an hour and a half... I have to disappoint them with great pleasure (laughs).

What is your vision in this area, in which direction are you developing it?

I just don't make unnecessary trouble for myself. If I like something and if I think it fits, that it is in harmony with the other elements, I use it. I don't care where it comes from or if I'm allowed to do it. The bottom line is that I like having that freedom. Plus, other people seem to like it too, which is always a nice feeling. This year I also introduced Tribal yoga, which is even more dynamic and bouncy, with elements of oriental dance and the rhythm of live drumming...

Another important part of you is your love of music. I could describe you as a multi-practice in this field. You play drums, guitar, violin, accordion and sing very well. Are you a self-taught musician?

Look, I'm not a musician. I can't play any instrument really well, I don't have any schooling and I'm not very good at those little black spots, but that never stopped me. Even at school, I was the only child in the history of our school who wasn't allowed to sing in the school choir, but I really wanted to sing "Yugoslavia" (laughs)... But you know how it is: if it doesn't go this way, it goes another way , like The Simpsons, where the episode starts somewhere and then you don't even realize it's going somewhere else. Now I sing and they even say that I sing well. It doesn't really matter, the important thing is that I enjoy it. In one way or another, I have been making music for more than twenty years, from metal in the beginning, music for theater, ethno, electronic, gypsy...

Which instrument do you prefer and why? What kind of expression does it give you?

Basically, my first instrument was the guitar, but I could never identify with that instrument and become a real guitar player, and that's why I didn't make much progress. Now I'm much more comfortable playing the drums and singing, because it's much more direct, less through a mental filter, so it grounds me more and cleanses me.

And your third passion is books. Which one are you reading right now?

It's not about passion, I'm not that kind of person (laughs). But I have a lot of affection. One of these is certainly reading. I read tons of books. Books that relax, stimulate and open me up… science fiction, quantum physics, mysteries, history – official and unofficial. From the pile of books I'm currently reading, I can pull Lynne Mc Taggart's The Intention Experiment - The Influence of Thought on Matter and Sophie Kinsella's The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - this book is marriage!

If we ground back. Where do you prefer to turn - do you eat when your stomach starts to growl?

Here, food is very important to me. I prefer to cook myself, for example couscous with vegetables, falafel, tofu with sesame... Otherwise, in Koper I go to the storia for the best pizza and to Kapitanija for chocolate brioche. This will certainly guarantee me one "round" for free in the aforementioned bars (laughs).